Improvement in gas-furnaces



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H COLL GAS-FURNACE No. 175,033. Patented March 21, 1876.

hVEFllUR Ml ESEEi WWQ,

PETERS. PflOTO-UTNOGRAH'ER, WASHINGTQN. D. C.

Z Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. COLL. GAS-FURNACE.

No.175.033. Patented March 21,1876.

1; E WM ar, n J w M qlnamfi M a N-FEXERS. PHOTO-UTHDGRAPHER, WASNINGTON.D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT Orr'r cn.

HUGH COLL, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND SPANG,UHALFANT & 00., OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAS-FURNACES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 175,033, dated March21, 1876; application filed December 21, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUG-H OoLL, of Pitts burg, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and use. fulImprovement in Burning Gas in Metallurgic Furnaces; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming partof this specification, in which- Figure 1 is aperspective view of apuddling and a pipe-welding furnace. Fig. 2 is a section of a'puddling-furnace. Fig. 3 is a section of a pipe-welding furnace. Fig. 4is a section of the heating-flue on line as at, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is asection of a modification of puddling-furnace.

Like letters-refer to corresponding parts in each.

My invention relates to the method of and devices for burning gaseousfuel in metalworking, metallurgic, and similar furnaces; and consists,first, in inducing limited combustion or low oxidation of the gas at oneor more points between the point of reception into the furnace and thehearth or point of final com-' bustion, whereby full combustion of thegas is produced and a clear flame obtained; secondly, in combining withthe usual fire-place or combustion-chamber ofa furnace a supplementalcombustion-chamber, for the purpose of producing primary combustion andoxidation of the gas before its admission to the maincombustion-chamber; thirdly, in combining with the-severalcombustion-chambers a heating-flue for heating the incoming gas, saidheating-flue being connected with one of the primarycombustion-chambers, so as to utilize the products of combustion whichpass through the heating-flue; fourthly, in connecting the throat of thefurnace directly with the heating-flue, so that the heated products "ofcombustion from the hearth may be utilized to heat the gas on its way tothe combustionchambers; fifthly, in combining with the heating-flue, ata point near to its connection with the throat of the furnace, a jet,whereby a gasflame maybe used for the purpose of heating the gas on itsway to the combustion-chamber, or steam, gas, or air employed to drawthe products of combustion from the hearth and force them through theheating-flue; and, finally, in details of construction hereinafter specified.

In burning natural gas, for which these devices are more especiallyintended, great difficulty arises from the smoky flame produced,probably due to the gas being surcharged with hydrocarbon vapors, andthe impossibility of properly oxidizing the gas in thecombustionchamber. The gas is also very cold when brought to thefurnace.

The object of the present invention is, there. fore, to heat the gas onits way to the com bastion-chambers, and to convert the free bydrocarbon vapors into carbonic oxide, so that in the main or finalcombustion-chamber the gases may be fully oxidized and the whole effectof the fuel obtained. The additional object in view is such aconstruction and arrangement of the parts that the furnace may be workedwith the usual fuel, and in the ordinary manner, when desirable.

I have illustrated my invention in connection with a paddling-furnaceand a pipe-welding furnace, but as the improvements relate only to thecombustion-chambers and their accessories, I do not wish to beunderstood as limiting the invention to a special class of furnaces.

I will now proceed to describe my invention, so that others skilled inthe art may apply the same.

In the drawing, A indicates the ordinary fire-place orcombustion-chamber of a furnace, having the ash-pit a, provided withsuitable doors for regulating the admission of air to the pit. In orderto reduce the air-inlets and cause the chamber A to retain its heat, Icover the grate-bars for a foot or more in depth with broken fire-brickor like material, a B is a supplemental or auxiliary combustionchamber,divided from the main combustion-chamber by a perforated wall orbridge-wall, b as preferred, and communicating with a heatingflue, G,which incloses a coil of gas-tubing or similar pipe terminating in aperforated T or burner, 0 arranged across the combustionchamber B. Boththe main and auxiliary combustion-chambers are provided with registers a11 for admitting air and regulating the quantity thereof, as thejudgment of the operator and the character of the flame in the maincombustion-chamber indicates. b are a series of perforations in theouter wall of the auxiliary combustion-chamber for the admission of air,and to prevent the direct entrance of the air and the establishment ofcurrents. Where the side walls of the furnace do not perform thatfunction, adeflecting-shield, b, may be employed. 0 is a heating-flue,through which passes the gas-pipe c, which finally ter minates in aperforated T, 0 arranged in the chamber 1), which communicates with B bya slot or passage corresponding to the burner, or is arranged in chamberB, as preferred. 0 is a register for admitting air on a level with theburner. Flue O connects at one end with the furnace by means of apassage, 2', which may be guarded by a damper, and at or near the pointof connection between the flue and furnace is a jet, j, in rear of whichis an airinlet, 10. The jet is usually a gas-jet, and provides a meansof heating the flue O independently of the products of combustion fromthe furnace, but a steam-jet may be employed, and in either case theproducts of combustion, or products of combustion and steam, will passfrom the flue through the chamberB into main combustion-chamber A. Theflue 0 may be employed to heat air for the auxiliary and maincombustion-chambers, if desired, and air-pipes may be laid through theflue, as in any of the well-known ways of heating a blast.

The operation of these devices is as follows: The gas being lighted atjet j, will heat the inflowing gas or air passing through pipe 0; theproducts of combustion from jet j pass through flue O and mingle inchamber B with the heated gas escaping from burner 0 In chamber B thegas is again ignited, and the products of combustion pass thence intomain combustion-chamber A, where the final combustion takes place. Now,by properly controlling the amount of air admitted to the jet in flue O,and the quantity of air supplied to support combustion in auxiliarychamber B,-

a low combustion takes place, resulting in the conversion of any vaporsinto carbonic oxide, and the production of agas which, when suppliedwith the highly-heated and divided aircurrents admitted from the ash-pitof main combustion-chamber A, burns with a clear flame, giving outintense heat. The broken bricks which cover the grate-bars become highlyheated, and serve to break up, retard, and heat the incoming air.

When it is desired to use the furnace with coal in the ordinary manner,all that is necessary is to shut off the gas and remove the broken brickfrom the main combustion-chamber, which can be done without loss of timeor cooling 0E the furnace.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. The process herein described for burn- 'ing natural or similar gas inmetallurgic and heating furnaces, the same consisting in inducing a lowcombustion of the gas in one or more preliminary or auxiliarycombustionchambers, whence the gas passes to the final or maincombustion-chamber.

2. In combination with the main fire-place of a furnace, an auxiliarycombustion-chamber, provided with gas inlet or burner, substantially asand for the purpose specified.

3. In combination with the main fire-place or combustion -chamber, oneor more auxiliary combustion-chambers, and a flue for the gas-inductionpipe, which leads to the auxiliary combustion -chamber, substantially asand for the purpose specified.

4. In combination with the auxiliary combnstion-chamber, theheating-flue, and induction-pipe, a jet-pipe arranged so as to create adraft through the heating-flue, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I, the said HUGH OoLL, have hereunto set my hand.

HUGH COLL.

Witnesses T. B. KERR, F. W. BITTER, Jr.

